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Wicked Sensation
Bass player Martin Mannhardt

Interviewed by: Anders Sandvall

Thanks to Birgitt Schwanke at GerMusica for setting up the interview. Thanks to AOR Heaven for the promo pictures of the band.

Bass player Martin Mannhardt from the German band Wicked Sensation hooked up with us to talk about the bands’ brand new album ADRENALINE RUSH. This is their fourth album from this melodic hardrock six-piece act. Besides talking about ADRENALINE RUSH we dedicated our conversation to handle the singer Robert Soeterboek’s status in the band, what part session singer David Reece plays on the album and which members are featured in the current line-up. Read the rest of this entry »

Best of 2014

As always, the top albums of the year are for full albums (no EP’s or demos) released in 2014. They also have to be new studio albums for the year, not re-recordings, re-releases, cover songs, or live material. Below the combined TOP 30 are links to each individual staff members personal “best of” lists which besides their top albums contains such things as best new band, best DVD/Blu-Ray, best metal book, disappointments of the year, greatest hopes for next year, personal metal discovery of the year, and various other categories. Enjoy!

The Top 30 Heavy Metal Albums of 2014

1. Accept – Blind Rage

It’s no secret, Metal-Rules.com loves Accept. In 2010 we voted Accept’s comeback album, BLOOD OF THE NATIONS as the #1 album of the year. Then in 2012, the album STALINGRAD was voted to #3. Now in 2014, the third album since their comeback, BLIND RAGE, is voted to #1.

Accept’s Wolf Hoffmann commented on their placement: “This is fantastic news! 2014 has been an amazing year for Accept and this now comes as a nice surprise at the beginning of 2015! We could not be happier with the reception for ‘Blind Rage’ – it’s a huge honor to be voted Number One. Thanks to Metal-Rules.com and of course a very special thanks to our fan community worldwide!! I hope to see you again soon…“

Says ACCEPT in a statement: “ACCEPT would like to thank Herman Frank and Stefan Schwarzmann for being with us these last four-plus years, for making themselves available whenever needed and for rocking their asses off!

“We and the fans all knew that they had their own careers and that eventually we would run into scheduling and other conflicts beyond our control.

“Herman and Stefan are now ready to take on the world, with their own band PANZER, a Nuclear Blast record deal under their belts and a new album!

“We are parting as friends and wish them nothing but success!

“We ourselves are getting ready for 2015 — another year of heavy touring!

“We would like to say thanks again to our fans around the world for their huge support and for the fantastic year 2014!

“The ‘Blind Rage’ world tour continues in 2015.”

Accept

Herman joined ACCEPT in 1982 shortly before the release of the band’s “Restless And Wild” album and exited the group for the first time after the arrival of 1983’s “Balls To The Wall” LP.

Frank and Schwarzmann were involved in ACCEPT’s comeback with new singer Mark Tornillo and have appeared on their last three studio albums: 2010’s “Blood of the Nations”, 2012’s “Stalingrad” and 2014’s “Blind Rage”.

Frank and Schwarzmann are currently involved in a new project called PANZER, also featuring vocalist and bassist Schmier, best known as frontman of DESTRUCTION.

PANZER’s debut album, “Send Them All To Hell”, was released on November 28 via Nuclear Blast.

WOLF HOFFMANN

INTERVIEW AND LIVE PICTURES BY MARKO SYRJALA

German metal legends Accept are no strangers in Metal-Rules.com. We’ve always been extremely supportive for the band and we’ve had numerous articles and interviews released during the past years and here’s another one for you to read. The band released their latest opus BLIND RAGE in August. The critically acclaimed album debuted at number one on the German charts, making it the band’s first number one debut in their career and it’s seen great success all around the world. Accept opened the “Blind Rage” tour in Sweden in late September. A few days later I met the band’s founding member and guitarist Wolf Hoffmann in Tornio prior their second show in Finland. It’s time to talk, again, with Wolf about current things and dig into the past a bit as well. Read on!

After reuniting four years ago with more than 15 years in hibernation, legendary German heavy metallers ACCEPT have added yet another chapter in the story of one of the most triumphant career comebacks in the history of heavy music, this time with the band’s latest studio release Blind Rage.

For the third time since 2010, ACCEPT’s latest album has cracked the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart – this time at#35. Blind Rage also holds the #4 position on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart. In Canada,Blind Rage has debuted at #114 on the Top 200 & at #21 on the Hard Rock charts. Presciently, Blind Rage debuted at #1 on the German Media Control chart – the best possible chart entry in the career of any German music artist.

“Four years ago, we decided to start ACCEPT anew,” states the band. “Of course, we hoped to reach the fans of heavy metal and leave a few more marks in its history. None of us would have thought that it would come to this. We’d like to thank all who gave us enormous strength and the will to continue on order to make this happen.”

Pioneering German heavy metallers ACCEPT have released the first of three online trailers for their upcoming new album Blind Rage, due out in North America on August 19th. Episode One features guitar player Wolf Hoffman discussinghow the album title and artwork were selected. “It’s really about aggression,” he states. “Metal has never been about love and peace. It’s always been in-your-face.”

Watch the video on the Nuclear Blast YouTube channel:

Blind Rage was produced by renowned audio engineer Andy Sneap (EXODUS, MEGADETH, OPETH). The album is available as an exclusive mail-order import edition, import box set, import vinyl, digi-pak, and jewel-case CD versions. Pre-order bundles include an exclusive artwork t-shirt + a poster & photo card and can be purchased now at the Nuclear Blast USA Webshop.

The official music video for “Stampede,” the red hot opening track to the new ACCEPT album Blind Rage, is now available for viewing on the Nuclear Blast YouTube channel:

ACCEPT – Blind Rage

“Stampede” was filmed on location in April in the high desert of California at Devil’s Punchbowl (a tilted sandstone formation with other-worldly geology) with director Greg Aronowitz (Batman & Robin, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The Lost World: Jurassic Park) and features ACCEPT unleashing blistering heavy metal from the mountain tops against a wide-spanning horizon and an absolutely amazing natural backdrop.

Two sets of behind-the-scenes photos from the video shoot taken by photographer Alan Hess can be viewed at the following links:

In the history of Heavy Metal not many bands can claim to be able to celebrate their breakthrough twice. ACCEPT managed this four years ago, as, with their reunion record Blood Of The Nations returning with a vengeance!

Now ACCEPT open the next chapter in their book of Heavy Metal, with the upcoming studio record Blind Rage, which will be out on August 15th.

6’th of April 2014

Hartwall Arena, HELSINKI

REVIEW AND PHOTOS BY MARKO SYRJALA AND ARTO LEHTINEN

The Metal All Stars touring circus landed at Finland in April. The whole tour had been advertised to have all the legendary heavy metal stars altogether such as Rob Halford, Vince Neil, Cronos, Tom Araya, Phil Anselmo and the former Megadeth guys Nick Menza and Martin Friedman. However the tour turned out to be one hell of a bluff when these legends vanished from the poster or announced no taking part in the Metal All Stars thing at all. Obviously the organization behind the curtains hasn’t pleased the bands and musicians that much either. When Metal All Star finally arrived after wild rumours and gossips, the 12000 seat Hartwall Arena was literally empty when only 2000 had crawled to witness the Metal All Stars. Well the Metal-Rules.Com was at present, witnessing this eccentric spectacle. Read the rest of this entry »

German heavy metal legends ACCEPT haveannounced Blind Rageas the title to their third studio album since their 2010 comeback and fourteenth studio album of their career. Set for release this summer in North America,Blind Ragewill be produced, mixed, and mastered by Andy Sneap (EXODUS, MEGADETH, OPETH, ARCH ENEMY).

“Something happened to us, something subliminal and impetuous,” states ACCEPT guitarist and main songwriter Wolf Hoffmann. “It is wild and scary and it’s called Blind Rage! The cover artwork done by Daniel Goldsworthy shows the beast coming over us – in blind rage – all over the planet. Wherever we go, whenever you turn on the TV, there is blind rage in the works – either natural catastrophes or man-made madness.”

Proudly representing the “Made in Germany” trademark, ACCEPT fashioned distinct musical blueprints that have influenced multiple generations of followers. They have kept their music and artistry relevant around the world and have overcome staggering odds to maintain international careers for over three decades. Read the rest of this entry »

HARTWALL ARENA, HELSINKI

11’th of November 2013

REVIEW AND PHOTOS BY MARKO SYRJALA

German bands Scorpions and Accept made history by appearing together for the first time in their decades-long careers. Having these two legendary bands performing at the same event sounds like a brilliant idea and the audience seems to agree, as the Helsinki gig sold comfortably over 9000 tickets. Accept have been enjoying great success since their latest re-union, or “the rebirth”, which took place in 2009. The renewed line-up consists of founding members guitarist Wolf Hoffman and bassist Peter Baltes, drummer Stefan Schwarfmann who’s been on/off member of Accept since the 90’s, rhythm guitarist Herman Frank (Victory) who played in Accept during BALLS TO THE WALL era in the 80’s and vocalist Mark Tornillo (ex-T.T Quick) who has replaced the original singer Udo Dirkschneider. Their latest two releases BLOOD OF THE NATIONS (2010) and STALINGRAD (2012) both present a hungry band which wants to go strongly ahead and not live in the past. Accept is one of the most successful German metal bands ever but the Scorpions is one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time. The band was formed in in 1965 by Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker and to this day the band has released 17 studio, 6 live and several collection albums which altogether have reached sales of 75 over million copies worldwide. In January of 2010, the band announced their intentions for STING IN THE TAIL to be their last album, with the tour supporting it being their final tour. But during the tour Scorpions changed their minds and here we are, more than three years later, witnessing the first Scorpions show in Helsinki since 2004. But before that it’s time to check out of the mighty Accept…

U.D.O.

CLUB NOSTURI, HELSINKI

October 5’TH 2013

REVIEW AND PHOTOS BY MARKO SYRJALA

German metal band U.D.O., led by former Accept vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, have been regular visitors in Finland during the past years. The band released its 14th studio album STEELHAMMER on last May and it also introduced U.D.O.’s renewed line-up including Udo, longtime members: bassist Fitty and drummer Francisco Jovino, and new guitarist duo Kasper Heikkinen and Andrey Smirnow. It seems that U.D.O. is still enjoying such a strong success in Finland as they now played in front of a practically sold out Club Nosturi in Helsinki.

Bloodstock Open Air 2013

@ Catton Park, Derbyshire, UK

8th – 11th August 2013

Review by Anna Dumpe & Ben Spencer

Imagine a weekend of nothing but pure heavy fucking metal.
Imagine being surrounded by the friendliest 15,000 people who share the same passion for heavy metal music and lifestyle. Imagine a place where it is respectable to have beer for breakfast and drinking until you drop in an accomplishment. Imagine a festival where you can see over 100 heavy metal bands and pretty much none of them suck.

Ladies and gents, this ain’t no heavy metal fairytale!

This is Bloodstock Open Air – the greatest heavy metal music festival of our times. It’s a place where metal heads run free, headbang until their heads roll off, shout ‘SLAYEEER!’ and avoid shower for 4 days straight.
It just does not get any better than this.

Our Metal-Rules.com UK team were privileged to attend Bloodstock Open Air 2013 and see things for themselves…here’s a ‘little’ insight of what went down.

Copenhell Festival 2013

Refshaleoen, Copenhagen, Denmark
14-15/6 2013

For the fourth year in a row, it is once again time for this years edition of Copenhell Festival. The festival is the largest metal/hardrock festival in Denmark and located in the outskirts of Copenhagen. The organizers, Live Nation Denmark, had outdone themselves this year and booked more bands than ever. They had also branched out music-wise and this year was not only dedicated to the more extreme forms of metal but also to traditional metal. The bands that performed included: In Flames, Ghost, Accept, Sabaton, Testament, and the Danish metal legend King Diamond who’s show closed the festival at Saturday night. Read about the great festival below. Read the rest of this entry »